First Chips on the Emco Unimat SL and Full Reassembly

[@Self_Evident]

Some might think this is a bit pedantic, but the part of the tailstock that is screw fed and moves in and out, and often has a center or chuck installed, is the "barrel". It is not a "quill". A quill is what's on a drill press, and the headstock of this lathe, which has a rack & pinon feed mechanism (and surrounds the spindle). A lathe's tailstock barrel is also sometimes called a ram. Now, there are some tailstocks that do have a quill, but they are not common. Anyway, great video as always!

[@624Dudley]

Thanks, it’s good to have you back on the air 👍

[@Engineerd3d]

That lathe is so small you can take it with you on holiday! Imagine taking with you to the Bahamas? Hold on a second sir, I need to do some turning at the beach.

[@Tensquaremetreworkshop]

More importantly, they allow machining in a bed-sit...

[@donaldmatthies6026]

Thank you for taking time to film, edit and post this video.

[@BorisIoffe]

Just stumbled on this very nicely made video. Thumbs up. I own a CNC version cousin of this lathe Unimat PC which underwent through a similar procedure about 18 month ago. Mine however is missing the tailstock and few other parts. Positive: amazingly small CNC lathe that works and can be stored on drawer. Negative: It's not a precise machine. Forget about getting to 0.001", I struggle hitting 0.01". I even replaced a cross-slide screw. It didn't; help at all. I invested into some eBay unbranded QTCP from Germany and it makes changing tools a joy. I built a little Arduino CNC controller which came out under $100. It's primitive but it works for very little this lathe can do (Spherical cuts+electronic lead screw). CNC part makes it easier with hundreds light passes. Chers.

[@BillsWorkbench]

Thank your for the shout out! Great job on getting your Unimat running again!

[@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe]

The shout out was well deserved. I wish I'd seen your spindle rebuild before I tried it myself. I'd have had a much better clue what I was doing.

[@SimonHollandfilms]

Dinosaur tools brought back to life.... good to see the Unimat working.

[@Rustinox]

Nice to see the little lathe making chips. And you didn't push the restoration too hard. It still looks like an old machine the way it should be.

[@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe]

Thanks, this is really important to me! A machine should look its age, while performing as close as possible to when it was brand new.

[@tomt9543]

@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe EXACTLY! At least those of us with membership cards from the over 60 club think so! Have always greatly enjoyed your videos! And as far as the hammer, don’t feel bad! That’s the way the pioneers did it! Ha! Thanks for posting!

[@singaporeseaslugs1393]

Breakfast can wait. Littlelathe guy has posted !

[@sierraspecialtyauto7049]

Thanks very much for this great video. I have begun to learn clock repair and recently acquired a nice, and nicely tooled, SL100. I'm eager to learn all I can about these little lathes. Much different than running my 13"x40" or 18"x60" lathes.

[@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe]

Wow, that's a really big change! It'll take a while to adjust to the low torque small lathes have, especially at low rpm. Good luck with your new learnings.

[@Tensquaremetreworkshop]

I have just fitted a spindle to my Unimat. 500w, 12,000 rpm (max) it is smaller than the original motor. It fits on a bracket in the same manner as the original, and uses a 42mm pulley- this gives max 6000RPM, which is the max speed for the Unimat specified in its manual. I now have a full speed range via a speed control, and much more power. And no belt changing.

[@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe]

Nice! Sounds like a big improvement. Are you still able to get usable torque at low rpm without the belt changing?

[@Tensquaremetreworkshop]

@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe Yes, not a problem. Up to its rated speed, a VFD motor is essentially constant torque. It also does not slow down under load- it is a synchronous motor. Some VFD drivers will let you set parameters for acceleration and braking too. With this motor the torque limit, in practice, is set by belt slippage- as I an using the largest pully on the lathe shaft, belt changing would give no more. I debated toothed belt drive, but decided that the added complexity was not worthwhile- the strain would show elsewhere in such a small lathe.

[@TheKnacklersWorkshop]

Hello Al, Nicely explained the reassembly process, great to see the SL up and running Take care Paul,,

[@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe]

Thanks Paul, and thanks for all your videos that gave me a background for this project.

[@fredcreer1929]

Nice job with limited tools, a steel hammer is fine if a piece of wood or plastic is used as a cushion. A lot of the poor finish is possibly due to the drive belt noise transferring to the part. Keep at it you are almost there, well done.

[@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe]

The drive noise is because the motor pulley is very worn, and rattling around the shaft. It doesn't seem to transmit a lot to the lathe, but it can't be helping.

[@garygenerous8982]

Awesome Video Sir. Loved every second and I can’t wait to see the next one. Hope that your housing situation got sorted out in the mean time.

[@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe]

Thanks! All good now, see the new workshop announcement from a few months back.

[@justhavingfun675]

I appreciate your videos. You helped me get my Db up running an making chips.

[@mrimmortal1579]

Good video, and nicely done! Quick hint for disassembly of the chuck: start with the big spring clip on the back 😁

[@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe]

I got it! Trouble is, I didn't have anything that could remove that clip, and it took a few weeks for one to arrive.

[@michaelcapp4597]

It’s a pleasure watching all your videos thank you

[@edwilliams9914]

Really great discussion! Just saw your post on FB which led me here. Anxious to watch the whole series now. Thanks for a fine job!

[@memyself3275]

You sound remarkably like Jeremy Wade from river monsters. When you had the runout issue with the brass your chuck was not locked tight to the spindle. There's a locking hole for a tommy bar in the spindle behind the chuck for this.

[@PaulsGarageProjects]

Awesome restoration, great how you kept it true to the original without going over the top. Treated with dignity and respect, apart from that steel hammer 😉

[@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe]

It made me cringe every time I saw that hammer while I was editing. Probably made me take a couple of weeks longer to edit because of that.

[@machinistmikethetinkerer4827]

Nice work. Yep Paul's a great guy to work with.

[@JanBinnendijk]

I refurbished one as well, and what i did was make a QCTP for it.. after all, i'm a toolmaker 🙂 you could try and make a toolholder that holds Solid Carbide bits, i make mine from old endmills, grind them to half the diameter, and then make the reliefs.. i use the same kind of tooling on my EMCO Compact 5 CNC and EMCOturn 120..

[@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe]

Nice idea! Way easier to deal with the small clearance if the tool height is at the centre of the diameter. I have thought about making a QCTP for this lathe, and looked through as many designs as I could find. What design did you use for yours?

[@JanBinnendijk]

@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe I made a Dovetail style QCTP, Since i could mill that with a 3 mm endmill, the "block" has one Dovetail, tightened with an allen bolt, and you can easily flip it when changing to Boringbars. Nowadays, i'd use my Wire EDM machine to cut these out..but it can be done with endmills.. I've also made a design that uses pieces of roundstock mounted to the block, so to make the holders, you only need to drill some holes through the holder, and mill the sides away, that is easier to make..

[@JanBinnendijk]

If you can find one, a Tripan 11 Toolholder will also fit right onto this machine, I have recently got an EMCO Unimat 3, and i put a Tripan Toolholder on it..

[@Alan_AB]

Fantastic video. I'm watching them very closely as I have a Unimat 3. Although both machines are very different I love to see how your will progress.

[@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe]

The Unimat 3 does look much better, and it has the added advantage that it's way easier to get chucks and other tools which fit the M14 spindle thread.

[@Smallathe]

Wonderful assembly video. I suggest you consider moving the motor housing a bit more to the side as it will interfer if you may want to turn larger diameters. The base plate is great and can be fitted with another unimat spindle and motor to do milling work.

[@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe]

The spacing is definitely a pain. Sometimes I run it without the aluminum box, but I'm worried that chips can easily go through the motor vents. Ideally I need a housing which shields the vents from lathe swarf, but doesn't cause the motor to risk overheating due to blocked vents.

[@Smallathe]

@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe good point on the chips issue. What about a 3d printed or sheet metal housing that is solid on one side, near the chuck (and fits the motor snugly for more chuck space) and has a rooftop and screen beneath it for motor cooling? There are some very fine stainless mesh screens on ebay. I have a 350mesh screen and it's super fine...

[@ronniejarvis2679]

You could install a thrust bearing between the handle wheel and cross slide body to alleviate the backlash issue

[@Rusty-Metal]

That's not going to reduce screw thread backlash whatsoever.

[@edgeeffect]

It's funny, watching you do this whilst looking at the "wallpaper" on my laptop, which is... "an exploded view of the Unimat SL" :) I've always been too "paranoid" to disassemble my spindle... but watching you do it here has made me realise it's not as scary as I'd previously felt. Which makes sense because I've always seen the Unimat as "designed to be maintained". "Grinding my own tools isn't a skill I've HONED!" :D :D :D :D :D

[@glencrandall7051]

Very detailed explanation. Thank you for sharing. Have a great day and stay safe.😀😀

[@taranson3057]

I thought about purchasing a lathe like this or perhaps saving a bit longer to get a better small lathe. I’m surprised that the spindle has a poor bearing setup. Can angular contact bearings be installed in the spindle?

[@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe]

I think the bearings are ok for a lathe of this size, capacity, and precision. I don't think putting more expensive bearings in would help much, as they're not the weakest part of the machine. This machine is a nice bit of design, but if you have room then a bigger mini lathe would be a lot more capable. Most Unimat SLs available are old and quite worn. I think saving up for something better makes more sense.

[@gerritvisser]

Nice job. You might want to find the spring that goes on spindle between headstock casting and the pulley, this lets you use the spindle in drill press fashion.

[@georgewolf7063]

I'm on the market for a small lathe with fair precision, but more power than my vintage 8mm watchmaker's lathe. Do you suppose a Unimat SL might be a good option (given a tight budget)? Not sure if/how one should go about making a more powerful watchmaker's lathe. :p

[@edwilliams9914]

Depends on what you're cutting and what your tolerances are. The SL is ingenious, fantastic, enormously versatile, (and fun! -- I learned lathes on my dad's SL which I still have, which is why I'm watching these great SL restoration videos) but the big heavy D-shaped bar of a Waltham pattern or Boley etc is enormously stiffer than the two 12mm rails of the SL. Put an indicator on the carriage of the SL, move it to the middle of the rails and press with your fingers and you'll see some flex -- and that flex may be *totally* within your tolerances -- or it might not be. I love both kinds (got a Boley - Leinen too) but they are a bit apples to oranges (and both hard to find *good* parts for on the used market). Depending on what you're cutting, maybe step up to a Taig (small, very stiff, high precision, sworn-by by its user base but with limited accessories -- you'll wind up making a lot of your tools, which is fine if you're into that) or even Sherline, very precise, and darned stiff within the limits of its aluminum bed, but with an *enormous* line of very good accessories and additions. Go up in size and you start getting into Sieg 7x14" "mini-lathes" and "mini-mills" from People's Republic of China on the low end of precision, fit, and finish, but still a great deal depending on your budget and precision requirements -- they have an enormous worldwide base for a good reason -- although a large part of that enormous base who thought they were buying s Hardinge for 1/50th the price howl and cry when reality sets in. But if you're already using a watchmaker's lathe I would think Sieg machines, even a great one from LMS, just are not going to make you happy. That said, a few companies like LittleMachineShop.com sell *MUCH* better versions by getting first pick of Sieg's castings, and first pick of best toleranced assembly, larger modern brushless motors, etc: I have theirs and simply would not buy anything else -- check their specs and a bunch of YT sources for comparisons with bottom feeders' like Harbor Freight's cheaper but horrible version. I *love* my LMS mini-lathe and mini-mill and have made my living doing prototyping and robotics components on them. For high precision end, maybe look at a used benchtop Schaublin -- a gorgeous machine built with the precision of a Boley watchmaker's lathe but scaled up in size, but also hard to find parts for -- file under "Expensive but worth it!" -- check nielsmachines.com. So pick your materials and precision -- making great precision model airplane engines in aluminum is prime Unimat / Sherline / Taig turf but not so much if you're going for cruise missile parts. Hope you find your perfect machine -- but just start with what you're doing now and want to be able to do and be disciplined (and realistic) about being guided by that. Good Hunting!

[@edwilliams9914]

BTW, what watchmaker's lathe are you running? What do you make? I still can't shake off this fantasy of doing up a Boley as a CNC machine. Some day...

[@georgewolf7063]

@@edwilliams9914 Thanks!

[@georgewolf7063]

@@edwilliams9914 I'm addicted to the original AWTCo. 8mm Webster-Whitcomb lathes, actually! I started with a beautiful copy-cat made by Boley-Leinen, and that inspired me to track down an original WW in good condition. I have one now, and that's what I'm using! I've been using it for making detail parts and fittings for my HO scale model trains, mostly out of brass and steel, but I've cut some aluminum and even plastic on it! Still trying to get the hang of tool geometry for each material, and threading is still very tricky for me, especially larger than 1/4" diameter. I'd eventually like to make an HO scale live steam loco, but without a threading attachment or a mill, it's sort of a pipe dream. I can't even seem to gind a proper parting-off tool, and everything current seems to be made or written for a much bigger lathe. Could be tool geometry, could be lack of torque, could be material... So many variables!

[@LexSama]

so i did this about 8 months ago, the 3 jaw chuck is not that hard to take apart, biggest problem is the locking washer on the back, need a tool to get that off and back on safely but can be done with a flat head screw driver and some needle nose pliers, if going that route have eye protection on and maybe do it in a box, as that thing can fly

[@martink8080]

You mean there wasn't a wooden dowel laying around to help drive out and re-insert the rails? Adjusting the tool holder while the lathe was on, twice! A socket wrench would have made removing some of those nuts and bolts a bit easier. Was there a rush to finish the video such that there was no time to acquire said dowel, wrench or stop the lathe? If you twirl the cleaning brush in the threaded holes instead of just pushing them in and out, they can clean the threads much easier. There will be many people watching who will quickly forget the "do as I say and not as I do" and then wonder why things go wrong when they do the same thing. I recently inherited a very small lathe without any instructions on maintenance so it was good to see how the parts come apart and go back together.

[@ikkiiiieee]

Couldn't you just use the spindle grease for the tailstock rather than light oil? Currently restoring one of the early Unimat Mk2 (black cast iron)

[@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe]

Grease isn't a good idea for exposed parts, as it's sticky and will attract dirt. I only used grease on the bearings after reading up to confirm what is standard practice for these lathes. For regular lubrication I use the same slideway oil on the bed rails, cross-slide rails, and tailstock. Slideway oil is formulated for exactly this kind of application. Slow moving sliding surfaces.

[@pauldavidson6321]

The spring washers are called Belleville washers.

[@jozefa1234]

Watch out using Molykote grease with small bearings , the tend to wear out very fast. I have problems with my model racingcar using molybdenium grease, bearings last 60-70% less than by using lithium bearinggrease, it is great for big bearings running slow. nice restoration

[@stewartfrye]

Your an optimist for sure.

[@zoidbergVII]

I was excited to watch it then disapointed I couldn't. I imagine the idea is that it doesnt matter when you upload you can make it go live at the time when you expect most people to watch it, however right now it has slipped quite far down my front page and I don't know if it will pop back to the top. Personally I really dislike the feature but it is your channel.

[@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe]

The main idea is that we get to chat and people can ask me questions as the video plays for the first time. I get that it can be a bit disappointing not to be able to watch it right away, which is why I post the premier only a few hours before going live. If you want to make sure it pops up at the right time, you can click the "Notify Me" button just below the video thumbnail. The folks that do show up seem to really enjoy it, so I keep using this feature if only for their sake.

[@jrkorman]

First, don't allow KZbin to dictate your viewing. I keep all of my subscriptions in bookmark folders. Serves at least 2 purposes. It's easy to find a channel and also every once in a while, for no known reason, YT will unsubscribe folks. I've had it happen a couple of times in the past couple of years.

[@hpevans9041]

Great to see you back with another video, always love your content.

[@luisribeiro2843]

@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe I'll try to give you an idea, which can solve these problems: Create a Telegram channel and put your releases in it. I say this because KZbin does nothing to help content creators. He only helps those he wants and the notifications will practically not reach anyone. Through Telegram, those who like your content will not depend on KZbin to watch you.

[@zoidbergVII]

@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe I hadn't consider the use case of having a conversation while the video is playing. For that it makes perfect sense and actually I regret not being able to turn up for it! I will try to remember for next time (though if I can make a request you could put a note in the description or something?). Enjoyed the video though, thank you.

[@Whitefirekith]

Keep up the good work!

[@robertozanetti7707]

Sorry what brand of tools do you use on your Proxxon pd 250..... did you change the tool holder for 10x10 larger tools............

[@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe]

No, I use almost entirely 8x8 tools which fit easily into the holders. Most of them are unbranded tools from eBay, Banggood or AliExpress.

[@williamsworkshopuk]

That motor sounds like it could do with a bit of work too! :_

[@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe]

Yeah, there were a bunch of adjustments needed. I can make a video about it if there's interest.

[@galvanizeddreamer2051]

While rollers rather than balls, my understanding of automotive wheel bearings tells me you want as much grease as physically possible. IDK about here, but I don't see how too much grease could be an issue. Maybe since there shouldn't be a large lateral force on the bearing, then they care more about friction caused by extra grease, rather than lubricity and longevity. Regardless, good video.

[@seansysig]

Why not adapt a variable speed 500 watt electronic motor and get rid of the belt moves to change speeds.

[@luisribeiro2843]

I'll give you another idea... Brushless motor for sewing machine. This motor has a speed control that tries to keep the speed constant, regardless of its work and has a good power.

[@DavidHerscher]

OMG it’s adorable.

[@habiks]

How does it compare to the proxxon?

[@Narwaro]

Zero days since last blue grease incident 🙃

[@Cjarka_]

I am surprised at how Emco can make such garbage machines now when in the past they made great stuff. The garbage our school got has no competition in the "Garbage for an unreasonable price" category of machines. For example the lathe we got (emcomat 14D) has a fixed carriage stop that doesn't allow the cross slide to hit the chuck jaws when clamping a bigger part. Great feature someone might say. Yeah it would be great if the tool wouldn't be a good 15-20mm from the chuck at best with the top slide in the most rigid position (small lathe problems). Same thing with the tailstock, it too has a stop WAY too far from the carriage so it forces you to extend the quill way further to support the work than would be necessary. and some small things like: The chip pan is quite big and immovable with no room for hands and a brush so it's a pain to clean and the speed knob can be moved just by blowing on it. (the lowest price I could find that lathe was 13k€ used) Rant over Great video

[@MF175mp]

Well, they have never been a high end machine. Maybe a high end hobby machine.

[@JasperJanssen]

That spindle and those bearings and case look a *lot* like a bicycle hub. I mean, some details are done differently - bike hubs don’t do the preload thing - but other than that….

[@scask]

I know this is a very childish level, but for one moment there at 2 minutes 10. I thought you'd said that "once you'd got enough grease between your balls" anyway, made me laugh on a bit of a grim Friday. Enjoy your content. Keep it up....

[@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe]

I can't blame you. It took loads of takes to record that bit without misspeaking or giggling :)

[@thecorbies]

A little bit of top rake wouldn't go amiss.

[@garyshakles7764]

Top take for steel, zero or negative top take for brass.👍

[@thecorbies]

@@garyshakles7764 Agreed. The brass was fine, but the steel - not so much, which is why I commented.

[@bhoiiii]

Hey man, I’ve always enjoyed your videos. The upcoming idea seems to be BS. All the best.

[@robstirling3173]

That motor sounds really rough!

[@machinist_matt]

👍

[@markthompson4885]

I think your RPM was too slow for good cutting.

[@ColCurtis]

I think that lathe can only take 1 c hair depth of cut, 2 c hairs is too much.

[@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe]

What's the conversion rate between 2 c hairs and gnat's c***?

[@ColCurtis]

@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe that depends, if it's a blond one or a black one. Probably around 10 gnats c to one c hair i would think.

[@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe]

@@ColCurtis I'm just glad it's not 3/64s.

[@ColCurtis]

@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe me too lol

[@paultrimble9390]

@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe I think 💬🤔 it's 6/128. I'm to glad not 3/64 that would be awful. Lol

[@stefandelfosse5318]

thanks for the video, but i'm sick of seeing you mess it all upthanks for the video, but i'm sick of seeing you mess it all up :-)

[@dallet40]

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